25 million years old, 1637 m deep, 636 km long, 80 km wide Baikal is the deepest, oldest freshwater lake in the world. It is one of the most amazing destinations in Russia. We invite you to visit our magnificent Baikal!

Dates of the tour:

06 July 2016

20 July 2016

10 August 2016

English speaking guide service during the whole tour!

Day 1 (Irkutsk – Taltci- Baikal: Listvyanka)

After arrival – meeting at the airport by our English-speaking guide, breakfast and the city tour through historical part of Irkutsk.

Irkutsk is included into the number of historical cities preserving their old planning and buildings. There are about 685 history and culture monuments in Irkutsk, 108 of them are monuments of national importance.

The city of Irkutsk was founded by Russians in 1661 - at the beginning of the colonization of Siberia and became a political, economic and cultural center of Siberia.

Nowadays there are more than 600 monuments of history and culture in Irkutsk, and you will see the most interesting of them, such as: Spasskaya Church, the Epiphany Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church, the monument to Alexander III, the monument to Kolchak, Znamenskiy (the Omen) Convent, the Monument to G.I.Shelikhov and etc.

Transfer to Listvyanka

Most travelers start the acquaintance with Baikal in Listvyanka village. This is the most popular holiday place at Baikal, it is 70 km from Irkutsk, it is 1 hour’s car ride.

On our way to Listvyanka we will visit the museum of wooden architecture Taltsy. It contains 40 history and architecture monuments and 8000 exhibits of great historic importance. The first wooden buildings of the museum were removed from the floodable zone of Ust-Ilimsk reservoir. The museum was founded in 1966. On 20th February 1995 the Russian Federation President issued a decree about making Museum Taltsy an object of national history and culture heritage.

During the tour to Taltsy museum you`ll see 13 architecture complexes with 36 wooden buildings on the territory of the museum. They get the visitors acquainted with material and spiritual culture of Near-Baikal nationalities – Russians, Buryats, Evenks. The museum expositions tell about everyday life, customs and traditions of Near-Baikal nationalities in late 19th / early 20th century. Original and magnificent Siberian folk architecture attracts a special attention of tourists.

Stop at the observation area opposite the famous Shaman Stone.

The Angara is 1779 km long and is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal. Its source is the widest in the world, it does not freeze during the most severe Siberian winters (width - 863 m , maximum depth - 4.8 m,speed - 5.1 km/h). In the middle of the river, at its head, rises a rock cliff 1.5 m high protected by the state as a natural relic mentioned in the legends of old times.

A beautiful legend, well-known in Siberia, has it that Baikal the Old wanted to marry his beauty of a daughter to a young warrior named Irkut (one of the Angara tributaries). But Angara fell in love with another knight, Yenisey, and ran away to join him. The furious father cast the huge Shaman Cliff after her. East Siberia’s largest hibernation place of water fowl is to be found at the source of the Angara River. And of course there live beautiful and loud white sea gulls without which it is hard to imagine Lake Baikal and its shores.

Visit to the Baikal Museum.

The museum was established in 1928 when the Baikal Limnological Station opened in the village of Listvyanka (since 1961 - the Limnological Institute). Every year the Baikal Museum has more than 30,000 visitors. The unique exhibits tell about the origin and the history of the lake, its flora and fauna, geological structure, climate and tectonics of Prebaikalye.

You will see: stuffed birds and animals; collection of minerals; exhibits found in scientific expeditions models of the lake bed showing its history, the peculiarities of its shoreline and bottom. And also Baikal fish (omul, golomyanka, kharius, sturgeon, taimen, pike); Microorganisms inhabiting Baikal waters and destroying everything that might pollute the lake.

Walking tour of Krestovka village with a visit to St. Nicholas\\\\\\' Church.

Legend has it that Russian merchant Serebriakov was caught in a storm out on the lake and prayed to St. Nicholas (Protector of Navigators) for help. His prayers were answered and on his safe return he began to build a church to thank the saint (in 1846). Unfinished when he died, the church was completed by the merchant\\\\\\'s wife. Located in Listvyanka village, the residents attend service held in the church. In the 1950-s the building was restored and many icons from other churches of Irkutsk were brought there among which are some rare items dating back to the 18th century.

Visit to the local fish & souvenir market. At the local market you can also buy souvenirs made by local Siberian masters, and also taste smoked fish from Baikal: omul, whitefish.

Accommodation at the hotel.

Meals: lunch at a local restaurant in Listvyanka. Dinner by yourself for extra pay (our guide will recommend you the restaurants)

Day 2 (Village LISTVIANKA – CIRCUMBAIKAL RAIL ROAD – IRKUTSK)

Breakfast. Transfer to the pier to take the ferry and go to the village Port Baikal. Arrival at Port Baikal village. Boarding in the train. Departure for a full day excursion by Circumbaikal rail road.

The Circum Baikal Railroad also known as KBZhD (according to its Russian abbreviated form) was the part of the main Trans-Siberian railroad until the middle of the 20th century (before the Hydro Power Electric Station was built in Irkutsk and the part of this road got to the flooded area).

The railroad is truly unique historical line. It was built more than a hundred years ago, and is an outstanding landmark to the construction and engineering art.

There are a lot of beautifully constructed tunnels and bridges along the way, making Circum-Baikal a huge monument.

The railroad was supposed to be a continuation of the Trans-Siberian railway, and was very important for Russia strategically. That was the reason why such a complicated project ever started. The volume of earth-moving work done on every kilometer of the way was equal to 400 carriages that may be compared to the volume of work done during the Suez Channel construction. 424 engineer constructions were built along 84 kilometers-long stretch of the road from Khultuk to port Baikal including 39 tunnels with the total length of 8994 meters, 14 kilometers of supporting walls, 47 stone and 3 iron galleries.

The courage and the unique skills of the engineers and workers will amaze you, at the end of XIX century, the majority of the construction was carried out by hand and in severe weather conditions, both hot summers and extremely cold winters.

Nowadays, Circum-Baikal is a quiet picturesque route along the shore of Baikal. There are a few trains every week.

During excursion you`ll have several stops to visit galleries, tunnels, to walk in the forest. Lunch box will be served to you in the train. The train always goes on Baikal shore and you`ll have a possibility to admire beautiful landscapes of the lake. In the late evening arrival at Irkutsk railway station.

Transfer the hotel.

Meals: breakfast at the hotel, lunch on the way. Dinner by yourself for extra pay.

Day 3 (Small sea)

After the breakfast we will go the central part of Baikal - so called Maloe More (The Strait of Small Sea), located 250 km from Irkutsk. The small sea is a part of Lake Baikal separated by its largest island Olkhon. It is 72 km length and from 4 to 17 km width. This is one of the richest fish parts of Baikal, and one of the warmest parts. The nature is very picturesque here. After arriving to Maloe more you will be accommodated in wooden houses with toilet and shower. Full board during your stay included.

Walking tour along the shore of the lake and small tracking to OBO (the sacred shamanic place of locals).

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Day 4 (Okhon – Khoboy)

Whole-day guided group tour to the northern point of the Island – Khoboy Cape.

The cape is located at the place, where the lake is widest. There is a ground, where all-Olkhon shaman tailagans were conducted. Nerpa, the unique Baikal seal, can often be seen here.

Here you will also find the rock, bearing the same name, Khoboy, which means “claw” in the Buryat language, though the shape of the rock resembles rather a woman’s silhouette with a bust. No wonder they also call is a Maiden-Rock. Your guide will tell you a marvelous legend related to the rock.

The road towards the northern tip of the island will be like riding a jeep-safari since it runs through woods, sandy fields and steppes without any hard surface. The road gets much worse after a rain, that’s why the principle transportation means in those places is UAZ all-roaders, which you will surely get used to by now.

Olkhon is the biggest Island at Lake Baikal. It is situated right in the middle of the lake.

The word Olkhon means “sunny place” in Buryat language.

It was said that Baikal is the heart of Siberia, and Olkhon is the heart of Baikal. It is a geographical, historical and sacral center of the lake.

During this tour you will see the Shamanka Rock, also known as Burkhan Cape. The rock is the subject of numerous fables and legends. It is here that the shamans of all the areas surrounding Baikal and even shamans from Mongolia were conducting their tailagan meetings. Later, after Buddhism was introduced to the area, the rock became a place for religious rites of the Buddhists inhabiting both shores of the lake.

It is the locals’ sacred belief that the spirit of Baikal dwells in this rock. Buryats’ beliefs prohibit people even to approach the rock, especially girls. In the earlier times horse riders would wrap the horse’s hoofs in cloth long before they reached the rock and would dismantle and lead the horse by the bridle in order to show respect for the Baikal’s spirit and not to disturb him.

The Shamanka Rock is one of the 9 sacred places of Asia, which used to be called “stone-temple”. It is considered to be the dwelling of the main of the 13 Sky Dwellers – Khan Khute-Baabai, who has descended onto Earth to master humans’ lives. At the foot of the rock a strange carving and an inscription in Sanskrit was preserved.

You will be able to approach the rock and try to find them. Next to the rock, there is the Youthfulness Gulf, having dived into which, according to the local beliefs, you will become younger in body and soul.

Further the road runs through terrain boundary Peschanoe (20 km north of Huzhir settlement), which is famous for its attractive sandy dunes. Constant winds, blowing from the lake transport sand from the beach to form sand deposits which cover the area of 3 sq.km in the shape of sand hills, beds and dunes.

And at last here we are – Khoboy Cape.

After we have tried delicious fish soup (ukha in Russian) and some fish, we will start our way back to the hotel.

Meals: breakfast, lunch (picnic) , dinner

Day 5

Breakfast. Free time. After lunch transfer to Irkutsk. Transfer to airport of Irkutsk and departure.